Let me just start by saying that it’s awesome when you have that moment where you can apply what you’ve learned in school to the real world. And I don’t mean your A, B, C’s and 1, 2, 3′s. I mean specialized skill sets. What you majored in. What you pulled all-nighters for. What you spent thousands and thousands of dollars on learning.

I’ve been struggling with trying to accept that which I do not understand, especially in regards to my professional work life. More specifically, where I’ve ended up at this time. The past few months have been spent scouring job sites, searching through mast heads and info pages, making cold calls, speaking to editors and art directors at super amazing companies and publications I’ve only dreamed about working for (FYI they’re human too), writing to try to sell myself, and saying lots of “please, please, please” prayers. And ironically, the one job that I did not apply to on my accord, or try to get, or thought I wanted, was the one I got. And if I can be honest about it, I was reluctant to accept at first because I had plans on going another direction. Plans to move back to the big city. Plans to work for major companies that are recognized world-wide and come with prestige. Plans to become some sort of big shot by association. (I was raised to aim high and dream big). And as you can tell by now, the point that I am trying to make is that plans are just that. Nothing solid.

I think we all wonder about our purpose in life, and that is the reason I felt compelled to write tonight. I am here to report that unlikely situations can be great situations. And that sometimes you just have to roll with the punches and not fight the paths that open up for you. And trust. Trust is such a huge…thing. And who knows…maybe these paths will lead you to what you wanted after all and that this job you currently have, town you currently live in, friends you’ve recently made, are just neccessary pit stops you need to make along the way. I read and tweeted the other day that “writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” Just replace “writing a novel” with whatever you are feeling challenged with and you can pretty much apply that advice to anything.

Through this recent experience, I’ve learned that a simple life is a good life. And oddly, the desire to go anywhere “big” or do something on a world-wide scale is no longer important. It doesn’t make you (me) more important. In fact, it could potentially turn you (me) into a pretentious jerk. And like any other artist, I’m sure I will tire of the routine eventually, but I know that the experiences will lead me towards the next pit stop along the way in fulfilling my purpose in not only my life, but in others as well. There’s no such thing as coincidence, remember? And “big” (as in “dream big”) is a subjective word. I have faith, good health, a loving husband, roof over my head, amazing family, et cetera, et cetera. If life could get any better than this, the rest are just accessories.

P.S. I absolutely LOVE my new job. And I am happy to report that photography is part of it though not the main task. I’m still working on excelling at my personal photo work and will of course keep sharing all the goodies that I come across. Just wanted to give an explanation for any hiatuses that I’ve had or will have. And as a side note to this side note, I did a shoot not too long ago for a story for the Wall Street Journal that will be published in June. If any of you get the paper, I’d love it if you could let me know if you see my cutline (I’m not subscribed). kthanksbye!